


And They Were Horse Kids

by LocalLazyLesbian



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Equestrian AU!, Family Fluff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Multi, non-binary Korkiyo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:46:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27718379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LocalLazyLesbian/pseuds/LocalLazyLesbian
Summary: Killing Harmony is a rather well known riding school, similar to a university.  It's no Jabberwock Stables or Hope's Peak, which take in the best of the best, Killing Harmony takes in a handful of misfits of all sorts.  Here is Killing Harmony's 16 new idiots, ready to cause some bloody chaos.Once again, an au that no one asked for!  As an equine major, I felt obligated to write!
Relationships: Chabashira Tenko/Harukawa Maki, Gokuhara Gonta/Shinguji Korekiyo, Iruma Miu/Tojo Kirumi, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21





	1. Dressage Dummies: Tojo

Horses have been a part of Tojo Kirumi’s life since was a little girl. In fact, Tojo Stables was a well known breeding facility run by her parents. When she was five, her parents took her to Canada to watch The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. The reasoning had to do with the fact that one of the horses they bred was showing. She remembers hating the bitter Canada weather, despite being in one of the warmer places, and sitting in one of the VIP booths with a cup of hot chocolate. The lights had dimmed and the show began. She would never forget the beauty and strength each horse had, flying over jumps like it was nothing. For the entire class, she sat on the edge of her seat. Her surprise and delight grew when the other classes began.

Afterwards, she begged her parents to let her come to the barn more often and to let her ride. They agreed, somehow. She beamed so brightly, a new found spark setting fire to her heart. 

She started lessons at a different barn (because Tojo Stables only have rings for the broodmares’ exercise) and it didn’t take her coaches long to realize that she was a prodigy. In her child’s mind, she just wanted to learn. She didn’t realize how quickly she learnt and got a hang of concepts. In the saddle, she felt amazing. Her senses were ignited, her mind felt free.

(Her parents started to care.)

The only thing that slowed her down was age and her body size, still far too small to learn the bigger stuff. She settled on trying to master the basics during that time. A time she spent riding other horses, although struggling to find a true partner. She tried the western disciplines, but her parents quickly forbad her from even getting into a western saddle.

When she was 7, she was finally allowed to start jumping. After falling a few times and getting back up, she got the hang of it. From there, she pushed her limits to learn more and more. Master everything and be the best.

(She would learn that even the greatest equestrians still have things to learn.)

She only had a handful of friends, the kids who also rode with her. There was the boy from the country, Teruteru; the girl who got out of foster care, Tsumiki; and the other rich kid, Ishimaru. 

Teruteru had an extremely thick accent and a weird sense of humor, kids tending to avoid him; Tsumiki was just extremely anxious around everyone and was always half a second away from crying; Ishimaru was a child of a political affair, parents urging their kids to stay away; and Kirumi felt like a lovechild of Tsumiki and Ishimaru’s problems, unable to be social and her parents’ status freaking out adults.

It soon became clear that they were a ragtag team of misfits.

When she was 9, her parents allowed her to breed her own horse. With the help of her friends, she picked out a broodmare and stallion from her parents’ collection. She was in charge of setting everything up, her parents refusing to help. She struggled for a bit, but managed to do it. 

Soon, the foal was born. She had slept outside the broodmare’s stall ever since the vet said she was getting close to giving birth. It was early in the morning when he was born. She stood, amazed by this tiny creature. Her parents were disappointed, he was far too small to be of any use. He was a (mostly) healthy friesian colt, just smaller than most. His size made some complications. She loved him regardless. Next, it was time to name him.

“What should I name him?” She asks her trio of friends. Ishimaru peeks into the stall and thinks, rubbing his large forehead.

“Moral Compass!” He suggests, but they all gave him a look of confusion. “Yeah.. that sounded better in my head..”

“Strand of Angoy?” Teruteru snickers and Kirumi gives him a look. “What? Yer goth!” 

“Am not!” She protests (although she kinda is, she’s certain it’s just a phase). “Plus, that’s too long.” 

“H.. how about P..Prime Minister?” Tsumiki suggests and Kirumi blinks, thinking about it.

“Prime Minister.” She repeats, testing the name on her tongue. “I like the sound of that.”

“Prime Minister it is, then!” Ishimaru declares, smiling at the colt. Despite her parents’ disappointment (in her, it’s never the horses’ fault), she knows that this guy will do great things in the future.

* * *

She had met her (only) friends when she was 6. They had rode together and even had playdates outside the barn. At this point in their friendship, it was uncommon for them to hang out at Teruteru (his mom had more or less adopted them) or Tsumiki’s (her new family was happy she had friends) place. The stables they had once rode at were forced to shut down. Teruteru and Tsumiki were able to find a new place together, but Ishimaru was forced to go on his own. Kirumi was training Prime Minister at her parents’ barn. 

At the age of 18, she received some news that… well, she needed to tell them face to face. 

_ “Dear friends, Teruteru’s diner. 20 minsutes. Sincerely, Kirumi.” _ She texts their group chat, as she leaves her place with her bag and letter in hand. She would rather not waste money on gas right now, so she settles for taking the bus. She checks her phone once she’s on.

_ “Girl, you don’t have to sign your name at the end of text messages!”  _ Teruteru had texted back.  _ “But that’s when my break starts so I’ll be there.” _

_ “Wonderful! I will arrive there shortly!”  _ Ishimaru replied.

_ “On mmy waay”  _ Tsumiki texted, her funky style a result of her constant shaking.

She closes her eyes and exhales, looking at the letter addressed to her. Killing Harmony, its crest standing out on the letter. The infamous riding academy. What could they want with her? She never applied, although she had heard about them scouting people out.

(The possibility of them scouting her out dances across her mind, but her fire has been smothered by her parents ages ago.)

15 minutes of her staring out the window, she reaches her bus stop. She hurries out and rushes to the diner, not surprised to see that the other free had beaten her there. They had taken a booth in the corner. Ishimaru spots her first and waves as she approaches.

“Spill the tea, Rumi.” Teruteru says as she sits down next to Tsumiki. Wordlessly, she places the letter on the table. They seem to recognize the crest immediately. “Holy shit, is that..”

“It’s from Killing Harmony!” Ishimaru cries as he grabs the letter. He notices that she hasn't opened it yet. “... aren’t you going to see what’s inside?” He asks and she shakes her head.

“No, I’m rather nervous.” Kirumi admits, shaking her head and fiddling with her gloves.

“T.. that’s my job,” Tsumiki says lightly, to soften the mood. Teruteru huffs and takes the letter from Ishimaru.

“I’ll do it for ya then.” He huffs and opens it without any other warning. He scans it, mumbling words. “Well,” He says after a few minutes. “They want ya to be a part of their team. Full paid scholarship an’ everythin’.” Ishimaru peeks over his shoulder and beams.

“It’s true! Congratulations, Kirumi!” He says. Tsumiki smiles at her, but frowns when she notices her friend’s troubled expression.

“Do.. do you not want to go?” She asks and Kirumi shakes her head.

“It’s not that. I would love to take Prime and get away from my parents, I don’t know if I can leave you behind or meet their expectations.” Teruteru huffs and rolls his eyes.

“Rumi, that’s bullshit and ya know it.” He says, despite Ishimaru scolding him about language. “They would not have reached out to ya if they didn’t think yer were worthy.”

“Just… think about it, okay?” Tsumiki cuts in before she can reply. She can only nod.

“Very well.”

* * *

  
  


That night, as she eats dinner with her parents and their coldly long table, she realizes what she wants to do.

“Killing Harmony has reached out to me with an offer of a scholarship.” She speaks up and her parents keep eating. “I have decided to accept their offer. I will take Prime Minister at their earliest convenience.”

They don’t say anything, they don’t even nod, but that’s all she needs to hear.

* * *

A few days after her reaching out and accepting their offer, Kirumi receives a message. Biting back her nerves, she checks it.

**Akamatsu Kaede:** Hello! I’m Akamatsu Kaede, a student representative! We’re trying this thing to be more welcoming to students! I’m here to discuss what time you can bring your horse/pony up!

She blinks in surprise, expecting an email. Regardless, she and Akamatsu figure out when she can bring Prime up, plus the following protocols. Classes don’t start for a while, but they want time for the horses to settle. In all, they had a lovely conversation and Akamatsu promises to add her to the group chat, to “meet” their classmates.

She agrees.

* * *

She spends the rest of the time preparing to leave. She packs all of Prime’s items first and sets it to the side. Then, she packs what few things she keeps in her room. 

On the day she leaves, she’s ready to go.

She packs her trunk with everything and prepares the single horse trailer. With it ready to go, she goes to fetch Prime from his stall. He’s been ready to go, with his trailer wraps and cooler, since she arrived before dawn. As he perks up, probably sensing her nerves, she hooks the lead rope onto his halter. She leads him out of his stall and into the trailer. She locks it up, making sure he’s munching on his hay and that the door and windows are properly closed.

She gets into her truck and looks back at her childhood home. Her parents are standing at the porch, disappointment all over their faces. She can’t help but sneer at them, getting into the truck and starting the engine. She drives off, not looking back.

The nerves ignite that spark again, filling her with warmth.


	2. Dressage Dummies: Chabashira

The crowd goes wild as she, so young, performs a perfect handstand on her galloping mare. With ease, she flips back on the saddle and grabs the horn. She waves to the crowd, as her eldest brother enters the track. 

A camera flash suddenly goes off.

His horse spooks.

He falls and hits his head.

Blood.

She screams.

* * *

The Crazy Diamonds were a trio of trick riders. All siblings. The eldest, Owada Daiya; his little brother, Owada Mondo; and their little (half) sister, Chabashira Tenko. Of course, was is the key word here. An accident happened during one of their shows, sending the eldest to his death.

Without their leader, The Crazy Diamonds were no more.

In truth, the three siblings had once lived on a ranch with their father. Granted, he was pretty much a deadbeat father. Mondo and Daiya’s mother left when they were little and Tenko’s mother left her, a little baby, at her biological father’s place. Bit of a sob story, but at least the siblings had each other. Not wanting to be separated, they took care of each other.

At some point or another, they learned trick riding with the horses on their father’s ranch. It was fun, something they were good at. Some of Mondo’s friends found out and helped them with their “bedazzle”. Before they knew it, everyone knew The Crazy Diamonds. 

Life was great, until Daiya died from the accident. 

Tenko was 14 at the time, Mondo was 16. They were using the money from their shows to get their own place. Their trusty horses had long been moved to the barn where Mondo worked. It was a hard time, Mondo nearly dropped out and Tenko just felt lost. She didn’t know how to help.

She still doesn’t.

Mondo grew a fear of riding and she could understand that, which is why she stopped for two years.

* * *

16 years of age, Tenko does something Mondo would hate. She feels horrible, but she can’t keep putting it off. She goes to the barn and approaches Daiya’s horse, a mare by the name of Flower Power. The horse looks utterly upset. Unlike her and Mondo’s horses, she refused to let anyone else get on her.

The mare herself is a lovely bay thoroughbred, right off the track. She has a weird star on her face, shaped like a flower.

Tenk takes a deep breath and approaches, clicking her tongue in greeting. “Hey, girl...” She speaks, voice soft. Instantly, the horse whirls towards her with a whinny. They make eye contact for a moment.

She sees nothing but her brother in those eyes. She breaks down into sobs, releasing what she had bottled up for so long. Flower Power, for all her credit, doesn’t seem to understand. She whinnies again and Tenko laughs. 

“I’m here, I’m here.” She chokes out, reaching out to pet her face. The mare leans into her touch, sighing softly. She enters the stall and hugs the horse’s neck, sobbing into her shoulder.

It feels good, to finally let it out.

* * *

She begins riding in secret, originally to help get Flower back into shape. The mare hasn’t tried to throw her off, which is a good thing. Ogami Sakura coaches her in the basics, so she’s not a fool in the saddle. She can’t help falling in love with the saddle all over again.

Somehow she manages to convince Ogami to actually coach her. The lady agrees, suggesting dressage. She agrees but asks why.

“You may have the energy and bravery that surprasses any jumper or eventer, but your true strength lies beyond that.” It’s a cryptic answer that doesn’t answer her question. Ogami is known for those, however. 

“Tenko doesn’t understand,” She replies anyhow. 

“You will one day.” Ogami promises, patting her shoulder. “Now, let’s begin with our training.”

She goes up whenever Mondo isn’t at the barn. When he is working there, Ogami allows her to ride at her family barn for private lessons. In short, she trains everyday. She doesn’t ride all the time, sometimes watching other students or doing exercises. 

She learns how to tell a lot about a person simply by the way they ride. Everything, to their body position to how their horse moves. Sometimes, it gives her a headache. That’s probably the only reason why she avoids riding with others, although she really wants to.

Even after months, she’s still unsure why Ogami suggested it. She doesn’t regret it, however, she feels like she’s one with Flower.

* * *

Before she had even started, she made Ogami and Asahina (Ogami’s girlfriend and local eventer) to keep it from her brother. It was a secret, she couldn’t bear to make him worry. It had never occurred to her that it was him that asked Ogami to originally help. 

He picks her up one day after her lesson. He doesn’t seem angry, so she gets in his car. They’re silent for a moment, before he speaks up.

“Daiya would be proud of ya.” He says and that surprises her. “Asahina sent me the video with Flower and ya, when you first saw ‘er.”

“How long have you known?” She asks. “About Tenko and her lessons, she means.” He shrugs.

“Ever since ya first got into the saddle.” He snorts at her shocked face. “What? Ya really think that Ogami Sakura, who follows rules to the dot, would really not consult your legal guardian?”

“Okay, fair point.” She sighs and nods. “Are… are you mad?”

“Yes. At you, though? Nah, I’m mad at myself. I haven’t been there like I should have.” 

“You don’t have to take care of Tenko,” She says but he ruffled her hair, messing up the bun she takes so long to do. 

“Shut up, ya take care of everyone but yourself. You’re a dumbass, but I’ll be damned if you’re not my sister.” He turns the car on, exhaling. “C’mon, let’s get some ice cream.”

* * *

Everything continues and gets better. Soon, Tenko is 18 and would be graduating high school. She’s applied to a bunch of local colleges, not wanting to go too far away from home. One day, she returns to her and Mondo’s apartment after her lesson with Ogami.

“Tenko’s home!” She says as she enters, placing her bag of school clothes to the side and taking off her barn shoes by the door. She puts her boots away and hangs up her helmet. “Mondo?” She calls into the apartment, undoing her bun.

“In here!” He calls back from the kitchen. She grins and goes to join him, playfully punching his shoulder in greeting. “Sup, horse girl?” He’s cooking, which surprises her. Generally, she cooks.

(Last time he tried, he nearly burned the place down.)

“Why is Mondo cooking?” She asks, peaking over his shoulder to see what exactly is going to be for dinner. “That’s… that’s Tenko’s favourite?”

“Did ya not look at the table?” He asks and she shakes her head, confused. “Go look, loser.” Still confused, she moves to their small table and notices a letter. For her. She picks it up and blinks at the logo.

“It’s from Killing Harmony?! Tenko never applied!” 

“I know, they scouted ya. Open it. Regardless, it’s time to celebrate.” He grins as she quickly opens it and scans the letter. She sucks in a breath and he looks away from the food. “What?”

“They… they’re offering Tenko a scholarship…” Her brother lets out a whoop as he rushes to hug her. “They’re offering Tenko a scholar- MONDO, THE FOOD IS BURNING-”

“OH, FU-”

This is why he doesn’t cook.

* * *

Ogami allows them to use her trailer and even helps them pack up. Tenko can’t help but compare her old coach to a mother, going over a list for everything she and Flower needs. She hugs the much bigger lady, who gladly hugs her back.

“I believe you are still stumped on my answer?” She asks, smiling.

“Yep! But Tenko doesn’t care about the meaning, you were right in any case!”

When they arrive at Killing Harmony, Mondo tells her to take Flower to her stall while he starts unpacking the mare’s things. She agrees and soon unloads the mare off the trailer. She remembers that her stall will be the third off from the door, in her classmates’ shared stables. She was happy to learn that their dorms are right above them, for some reason.

As she enters the barn and quickly spots her stall, she notices two people standing in front of it. One is a girl with brown hair longer than hers and this guy with a spiky head of purple hair. She knows instantly from their outfits that they are eventers. She picks up on their conversation.

“Is this what you had to show me?” The girl snaps at the boy, who jumps back.

“Makiroll! Do you honestly not remember that name?” He replies, almost offended.

“No. What, is this Chabashira person named after one of those comic book characters?” His companion says back. Tenko decides to speak up, surprised they didn’t hear Flower’s hoof steps.

“Uh, do you need something from Tenko?” She asks and the boy jumps, facing her. The girl doesn’t seem surprised, slowly turning towards her. 

(she’s never seen a cuter girl.)

“You’re Chabashira Tenko!” The boy grins, pointing towards her. She blinks and does a double take, she’s not too famous within the dressage community-

Oh, wait.

“Oh! You recognize Tenko from The Crazy Diamonds!” She realizes and he nods with a dumb grin that she knows she’ll learn to loathe. 

“Yep! I’m Momota Kaito, and this is Maki Harukawa!” He says. “What are you here for? Jumpers? Eventing??”She shakes her head.

“Dressage, actually.” His face falls faster than anything she’s seen. Harakawa smiles and it’s the cutest smile she’s ever seen. She’s pretty sure her face is on fire.

“We’ll leave you alone. C’mon, Kaito. See you, Chabashira.” She says, waving bye as she drags him away.

“Of course! Tenko looks forward for learning with you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With that, there's one more Dressage Dummy left! Can you guess who?


	3. Dressage Dummies: Shinguji

The world of equestrians is such a beautiful thing, Shinguji Korekiyo learns at a young age. It was a dance of trust, courage, and traditions. Unlike many of their future classmates, Korekiyo wasn’t born into the world. They wish they were, but they were not. 

Truthfully, they got into it thanks to their sister. They cannot remember a lot of details about her. Things like her name and face escape their grasp. Whenever it is from trauma or just age, they will never know. They do not care either, though.

It had started when their therapist suggested equine therapy. They had just read a book on horses, so they gladly agreed. They knew horses were quite empathic, although stoic themselves. Prey animals, evolved to hide even the most tortuous pain, working for humanity? They really wanted to meet one. 

Their parents signed them up for sessions and the second they entered the barn and saw a beautiful draft horse, with its head larger than their body, they knew that they had dove headfirst into this world. The draft, who’s name was Barbie, was the sweetest mare. They loved her, she helped them through a lot. Their trust and courage came back.

Barbie, however, was an old girl. The news of her passing left a mark on their soul. They, however, didn’t want to quit there. They pushed on, trying and trying to get better with each passing session.

One day, they asked about actually riding. The handler agreed, much to their parents dismay but didn’t say no. They sat in the saddle for the first time a few sessions later and felt at home. Sure, they were scared, but it didn’t feel more right.

Trust and courage is all it takes, like Barbie had taught them.

* * *

The next part of their story is rather funny, in their opinion. In middle school, they accidentally befriends a princess from another country. It starts when she asks them about serial killers and like the goth nerd they are, they answer all her questions. Somehow, they end up on the subject of horses. They tell her they used to ride and she gasps, demanding that they should be friends.

Not having many friends at the time, they agree. The second after, she asks them if they can go to her place and ride with her. 

“You see, I haven’t rode in months.” They tell her. “And even back then, it wasn’t much.” 

“Oh, pish posh!” Nevermind huffs. “I just started! I would like a friend to ride with, that’s all.”

“Very well,” They agree with a nod. “I will have to discuss it with my parents, although.”

“That sounds like poggers!”

“Never say that again, please.”

Their parents accept Nevermind’s invitation, but if only they could drop their child off. Nevermind’s parents agreed and gave them the address. Korkiyo should have been expecting a manor, they had no idea why they were so surprised by the huge mansion that stands before them and their parents. 

“Huh. Would you look at that?” Their dad muses, as the family butler lets them in. After a lovely tea meeting, Korkiyo’s parents nod and leave. With that, they are free to start riding.

* * *

It’s like that for a while, Korkiyo riding with Nevermind at her private barn and taking lessons with her as moral support. With top notch coaches, their skill wasn’t something to question. Although they were sure they were not as good as some other big names, they thought they were fairly decent. Their current horse is a Lipizzaner named Folklore, a truly beautiful grey gelding.

It wasn’t until their dressage first test, they didn’t realize how big the world of their discipline was. Their marks were great, in the top spots. They tied with one person, Tojo Kirumi. They spot her after, as she’s loading her Friesian onto her trailer. They hesitate but clear their throat. She turns to them.

“Oh, you’re Shinguji Korekiyo, correct?” She asks, carefully hooking up her stallion. They nod, carefully undoing the bun that held their hair.

“Correct indeed.” They say. “And you must be Tojo Kirumi?” She nods and he chuckles. “Truly wonderful, it’s not everyday someone ties.”

“I agree, it’s not.” She smiles, ever so slightly. “Congratulations and a good ride is in order, then?” They smile, although it’s hard to tell with their mask.

“Indeed. I look forward to riding with you again.” 

The two shake hands, forming a friendly rivalry. 

* * *

The next big milestone in their life is getting a letter from Killing Harmony. Their friends, Nevermind and Tanaka, more than urge them to take the chance. They are 18 at the time, awaiting responses from universities. 

“It is destiny!” Cries the goth horse handler. “You, Great Masked Demon, cannot refuse this offer to join these ranks!” 

“Tanaka is right, Shinguji!” Nevermind agrees, taking the letter and reading it. “Wow! A full scholarship!” 

“It would be foolish to deny such an offer.” Tanaka nods. Shinguji ponders for a moment. Horses have done nothing but help them from such a young age, mentally and even physically. They had learnt so much from Folklore and Barbie. Would it be so wrong to learn more about them? So they can help the creatures that have helped them?

“Tanaka is right, I would be a fool to deny their offer.” Their friends cheer and from under their mask, they smile.

* * *

Their parents support their decision, helping them back pack their belongings. Nevermind pretty much forces them to take Folklore, saying that the gelding likes them far more than anyone else and it was for the horse’s sake. They reluctantly agree but insist on helping her get the horse ready. In no time at all, the time to leave is upon them. 

After arriving and safely unloading everything, Shinguji allows Folklore some time in his stall, taking some time to explore the area. It’s a lovely place, very large. They note that each class seems to have their own area, with their dorm right above the stables. Quite convenient, if you ask them. They explore the main stables, until they find a note on the bulletin board.

_ “Dressage team! Meet-and-greet in the arena! Bring your horses! Be ready to ride! - Chabashira T.”  _ It reads, along with a date and time. Ah, it’s in a few hours. Perfect. Enough time to get their things ready.

The time flies and soon Shinguji is leading Folklore into the dressage ring. Due to the weather, it’s still outside. There are to other people here, already mounted on their horses. There’s a bay and a friesian, with the riders likely girls. They mount their partner and carefully approach.

One of them, the girl on the bay, turns towards them. “Hello!” She greets, with a wave, and the other person turns. “Tenko is glad you made it!”

“Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” They turn towards the other person, surprised when they recognize the face. “Tojo?”

She blinks for a second before seeming to recognize them as well. “Ah, Shinguji. I should have known you would be here.”

“Likewise.” They chuckle. The other girl, Tenko, looks very confused. 

“Wait, you guys know each other?” She asks. Tojo nods to her.

“Correct. We meet occasionally during tests.” She explains. “Somehow, we tie or get our scores every close. Friendly rivals, if you must.” 

“Ohh, that makes sense!” Tenko nods, before turning to Shinguji. “By the way, what are your pronouns?”

“They/them.” 

“Tenko sees! Well, we should do introductions!” She grins. “I’m Chabashira Tenko and this is Flower Power!”

Not questioning the name, Tojo continues. “Tojo Kirumi. My horse is named Prime Minister.” 

“And I’m Shinguji Korkiyo. This is Folklore.” They say, gently patting their gelding’s withers. “Now, let’s get to riding.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait! But it's here! Sorry it's a bit shorter, I'm planning a bigger one next!


	4. Tojo Meets her Fellow Dumbasses

Before classes even start, they have one week to settle in. Prime Minister, Kirumi’s stallion, seems perfectly content in his “boy’s paddock”. She hasn’t met much of her classmates, minus Chabashira and Shinguji, during the week. The so-called “dressage trio” is basically two socially constipated goths and one, over the top puppy. 

Not her words, but the apparent word around the course. 

The day before classes start, Akamatsu emails them all for a “team meeting”. Likely just an ice breaker, but she should really show up. Even if she doesn’t speak, she should at least show her face. Besides, shortly after the email, Chabashira messages her with a (friendly) warning to show up. 

Which brings her to where she is now, just outside her class’ dorm living room. She can hear chatter, maybe some arguing? With a sigh, she goes to enter the room when she bumps into someone really tall. She steps back and he whirls around. He has long green hair that seems to be neatly braided. He has large circle glasses and is currently wearing a green bedazzled blouse, with a bug like pattern on it. Along with neatly cleaned breeches, she would guess that he just came from riding. He’s not wearing shoes, though.

“Ah! Gonta is sorry, he didn’t see you there!” He says, stepping aside to let her pass. She shakes her head, waving his apology. 

“I should be apologizing, I was the one who walked into you…” She pauses, looking up at him. 

“Oh! Gokuhara Gonta!” He beams, extending his hand for a shake. “Gonta is pleased to meet you! What’s your name?”

“Tojo Kirumi.” She responds, shaking his hand. “I’m one of the dressage riders.”

“Oh! Gonta loves dressage, it’s very fun!” He replies. “Although he does western disciplines…”

“Oh, that’s interesting. You said disciplines? Which one?” She asks, but a new person joins their conversation. He’s much shorter than Gokuhara, with messy purple hair and palish skin. He’s wearing the tackiest checkered flannel she’s ever seen, with dark pants and… crocs? Is this guy wearing crocs?

“Gonta here is an ace of all trades!” He snickers. “Roping, barrel racing, westren pleasures, you name it!” 

“Gonta thinks it’s called being a jack of all trades, Kokichi…” The much larger man mutters. “And Kokichi knows that Gonta does westren pleasure!”

“Yeah, yeah.” The other guy huffs, rolling his eyes. “Anyways, I’m Ouma Kokichi and I’m a barrel racer! You must be the one out of two socially constipated dressage riders!”

“That’s oddly specific.” She replies, raising a brow. 

“Well, there’s two other socially constipated riders here so…” Ouma waves a hand, leaning on Gokuhara. “Hey, hey, hey! Maybe you guys can have a club!” 

“I’ll pass.” She deadpans, before slipping past the towering man and his friend. “If you excuse me, I must go inside. My fellow dressage rider might have my head if she thinks I ditched. Pleasure meeting you, Gokuhara, Ouma.” 

She walks the rest of the way into the living room, spotting Chabashira chatting with a blonde. Not wanting to interrupt, she looks around the room for a place to sit. There’s an empty spot on the couch, although it’s next to the youngest looking person she’s seen. He has a leather jacket, along with a blue beanie with cat-like… things. He doesn’t seem to be paying much attention, so she goes to sit down next to him.

“Pardon me.” She says as she sits down. He only grunts with a small nod, but doesn’t say anything else. Given her interaction with Gokuhara and Ouma, she’s thankful for the social break. Shortly after she sits, a few more people gather in and the blonde does a quick headcount.

“Alright! I think that’s everyone!” She says, clapping her hands. “How about we start with a little ice breaker!”

“No thanks, Akamatsu.” The short man, with a much deeper voice than what was expected, next to Tojo drawls. 

“It was a rhetorical question, Hoshi.” She huffs. “Just don’t go, but then Ouma will just bug you about it.”

“I can and will, nishishi!” The purple haired, crocs wearing gremlin (yes, an appropriate word for him) giggles.

“Why the fuck does your laugh sound like that?” Wonders a man with hair that looks suspiciously looks like an eggplant. A girl with long pigtails rolls her eyes, standing next to him.

“Anyways, I’ll start! We’ll say our names, our horse’s name, then our discipline!” The blonde, apparent leader, says. “Hi! I’m Akamatsu Kaede! My horse is named Mezzo Waltz! We’re a jumper team!”

“I’ll go next!” The eggplant haired man volunteers. “I’m Momota Kaito! My partner is Lumariy of the Stars! We’re the captain of the eventer team!”

“We have no captain, idiot.” The girl next to him hisses, elbowing him in the gut. She sighs, noticing the attention on her. “Harukawa Maki. My horse is named Sushi. Yes, that’s her name. She’s a rescue. We’re eventers, along with the idiot and Saihara.” 

“Guess that’s my cue…” Another boy sighs, stepping out from behind Momota. He has dark hair and makeup gother than Kirumi, plus he’s wearing pajamas. He ignores Momota’s question about his choice of clothing, but starts to speak. “I’m Saihara Shuichi… my horse is named Hangman’s Gambit… and we’re eventers, like Harukawa said…”

“We’ll go next!” Chabashira declares, grabbing Shinguji (who Kirumi hadn’t even seen come in) and drags them over to where she’s sitting. “I’m Chabashira Tenko! Pleased to meet ya! Tenko’s horse is Flower Power! We're part of the dressage team!”

At Chabashira’s nudging, Kirumi stands up to speak. “Greetings, I am Tojo Kirumi, my horse is the stallion called Prime Minister and we practice dressage.”

“And I’m Shinguji Korkiyo. My horse is named Folklore and we too practice dressage.” They finish. “Happy, Chabashira?” 

“Yep!” She replies, Kirumi sitting down as the other two dressage riders go back to their original seats. With that, the introductions continue without a hitch.

* * *

Later, they’re all chatting in the living room. Chabashira is talking to Yumeno, a hunter, and Yonaga, who does roping. Shinguji is talking to the short man that Kirumi sat beside earlier. At the moment, she sits alone. She doesn't mind that, she prefers the quiet. After a few minutes of mingling, Akamatsu takes the lead again. 

“Alright, everyone! We have our chore lists and teams to discuss now! Remember, each team is responsible for their weekly tasks! We will rotate after each week but we start next week!” She reminds them, sticking a piece of paper on a corkboard that Kirumi didn’t notice before. 16 students, four groups of four. 

It’s noted that the group members are mostly from different disciplines, seeing as Kirumi’s group is the following: her, Hoshi, Shirogane, and Iruma. What an odd group, she supposes, but their first weekly task is turn-in/out.

She eyes her group mates. Hoshi, like her, doesn’t seem to care. Iruma huffs, but doesn’t say anything. Shirogane does fidget, but that’s it. Kirumi sighs, this is going to be a long term. 

**Author's Note:**

> do I need to stop? Yes. Will I? Nope!


End file.
